Charles Oliveira looks like he’s preparing for an absolutely brutal war with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.
UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira knows he may be in for a wild stand-up war in his next title defense. Paired against former interim title-holder Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, ‘Do Bronx’ appears to be preparing for a brutal fight—at least judging by a series of videos that emerged on his official Instagram account.
The videos posted show Oliveira sparring with no head gear on, and at times even without shin guards. The first one exhibits a couple all out exchanges between Oliveira and a training partner at the legendary Chute Boxe gym, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Although most of the time the footage shows Do Bronx staying on the feet, the champ threw a reactive double in there too—just for good measure. Watch all the videos below:
In his last outing, Oliveira (32-8-1 NC) successfully defended his belt for the first time, submitting Dustin Poirier via rear-naked choke, back in December 2011. The win extended the 32-year-old’s streak to 10 straight victories, with all but one coming inside the distance.
Oliveira is expected to meet Gaethje on May 7, in the co-main event of the UFC 274 PPV card. An official location for the bout has yet to be announced. The card had tentatively been planned to take place in Brazil, but it now appears the UFC is targeting a stateside location for the event. UFC 274 is scheduled to be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between the champion, Glover Teixeira, and challenger Jiri Prochazka.